Naomi never thought she’d need help.
For years, she worked double shifts at a local restaurant, raised her two kids on her own, and kept the lights on… barely, but steadily. She was proud of that.
Then the restaurant reduced its hours. Suddenly, her income was cut in half, and with so many other local restaurants struggling, Naomi couldn’t fill in the gaps. Within six weeks, she was facing eviction.
“I didn’t know where to turn,” she said. “I felt like I had failed my kids.”
A neighbor told her about CAPTAIN Community Human Services. She almost didn’t call, convinced the help wasn’t meant for someone like her.
She called anyway.
Within days, Naomi was connected with housing program staff who helped her negotiate with her landlord and apply for emergency rental assistance. She enrolled in Getting Ahead and began working with a mentor to help update her resume and identify job training programs. And when the stress became overwhelming, she was connected with mental health services who helped her process the fear and shame she’d been carrying alone.
Six months later, Naomi had a new job, stable housing, and, for the first time in years, a plan.
“CAPTAIN didn’t just help me survive,” she said. “They helped me believe I could get back on my feet.”
Naomi’s story is exactly why the Building Brighter Futures Capital Campaign exists.
Right now, stories like hers depend on families being able to navigate multiple locations, multiple intake processes, and multiple waitlists, all while in crisis. The new Community Engagement and Resource Center will change that, putting the services Naomi needed under one roof.
We’re just $600,000 away from making that a reality, but we must reach our $5.2 million goal by July to begin the work on time.
Your gift today means the next Naomi gets help faster, with fewer barriers, before the crisis gets worse.
Give today at captaincares.org/brighterfutures.
